Hanabira Part One Letting Go
by chronicxxinsanity
Summary: After the disappearance of Aang, Hanabira and the other air benders have to try their best to survive the war... or die trying. Part one to a series, series has been discontinued.
1. Chapter 1

**Hanabira - Part One - Letting Go**

**Chapter One**

Cold wind swept through the Easter Air Temples, signaling the season change from summer to fall. Despite the freezing wind, the small air benders ran around the soft grasses below the temples, laughing and having fun as if the summer would never end.

"You have to come down and play with us, Hana!" Uteki wined, sitting on the end of Hanabira's bed with a heavy thud. She worked up her best sad face, but it was unseen by Hana, who's eyes were fixated on her friends playing below.

"I don't want to," Hana muttered, just loud enough for Uteki to hear, but quiet enough for her to not hear the hoarseness of her voice after hours of crying. Her eyes, which were usually a bright and vibrant green, seemed dull and grayish, worrying many of the monks and Hana's closer friends.

Uteki crossed her arms, trying to think of a strategy to get her friend out of her room and into fresh air. She finally spun around, unsure whether she should be wary of this new decision or happy about the new idea. She went for it.

"Aang wouldn't have wanted you to stay up here all day." When Hana only pulled her knees closer up to her chin, Uteki sighed. "He would have wanted you to play. Come on, Hana, please? Forget Aang and come play with us."

Hana let out a choking breath; caught between a sob and a laugh. She stared at her friend, bewildered and Uteki regretted the decision to bring Aang into the conversation, let alone use him as leverage.

"I don't want to _forget _Aang!" Hana sobbed, her voice void of all it's timid and softness that had made Hana seem so shy and quiet before. She shut her eyes tightly, letting her forehead fall against her knees as she let out a shaky sob. Uteki moved closer, placing a hand on her friends shaking shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Hana," Uteki cooed, rubbing Hana's back and thinking frantically of what to do or say. She was a bold person, a natural when it came to telling things how it is, but comforting a friend? This was new territory. "You know I didn't mean it like that. We can never forget Aang. We'll always remember him."

"We don't have to _remember_ him, Uteki." Hana said incredulously, "He'll come back."

Uteki was glad that Hana still had her head buried in the mass of arm and legs hugging around each other, otherwise she would have seen the disbelieving look that Uteki couldn't manage to wipe off her face.

_It's been a week…._ Uteki thought, realizing that almost everyone except a few of the monks and Hana had lost all hope of Aang coming back. She continued to rub Hana's shoulder until the sobs quieted down to hiccups and the steady flow to tears subsided to a few stray teardrops.

"There," Uteki smiled, conjuring up the happiest smile she could.

"I can't believe he'd leave me," Hana said, brilliant green eyes searching the clouds outside. "He didn't even say goodbye… he just…."

Uteki nodded and Hana took in a long breath, letting it out slowly and closing her eyes. She let her head fall against the window and suddenly felt very tired. Who knew grieving could be so tiresome?

"At least we know the Fire Nation doesn't have him." Uteki smiled at the small bit of hope they had left for their friend. Hana's eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at her friend. Her skin was paler than usual, and even the freckles lining Hana's nose and cheeks seemed duller than before. Another pang of worry shot through Uteki as she noticed her friend was in an even worse state than she thought.

"How do we know that?"

"If the Fire Nation had Aang, they would gloat about it. Scream it from the mountains so we would all know that any hope for them to not start this war would be gone." Hana nodded, letting a smile catch onto her face but not letting it reach her eyes.

"That's true," Hana said, glancing back out the window as another chilling breeze swept the girls' tan clothing around their limbs before settling back into place. "At least we know wherever he is, he's safe."

Uteki nodded, shutting her mouth before she could blurt out the thought that had been forming in the back of her mind. _What if wherever he was… he was dead?_

Uteki kept her mouth shut, mirroring Hana's smile, and just glad that her friend had stopped sobbing over the loss of her best friend.

"Will you please come play with us?" Uteki asked, a small, but hopeful smile on her thin face. Hana let her arms fall from around her knees and she glanced back out the window, wishing she would see Aang flying through the clouds on Appa, ready to tell her this was all a trick and the joke was on her. Hana's heart sank when the clouds parted, only to reveal the sun almost setting.

"Fine," Hana said, letting Uteki pull her to her feet.

She wiped her eyes, trying to put on a smile that was somewhat convincing as Uteki pulled Hana out of her bedroom for the first time in days.

* * *

_A/n: This story is going to have different parts, because there are going to be a few big parts of this story. I can't wait to hear what people think about it._

**Disclaimer: I do not, and will never own the rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender. I do, however, own those characters which you do not recognize from the show.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hanabira - Part One - Letting Go**

**Chapter Two**

"Sleep well," Uteki said, giving Hana a small smile as their parted in the hallway. Hana nodded, knowing it would be nothing more than a restless night of sleep, like the past week since Hana found out Aang had run away.

Hana closed the door to her bedroom and shivered as a freezing cold wind swept through her room. Keeping the window open, Hana decided after a moment of thought that the cold was nice. It wasn't numbing, but it was enough to know that fall was coming.

"Sleep," Hana muttered, falling on her bed without changing out of her clothes. She had to admit, playing for a little bit was fun, even if some of their old friends like Kaori and Jindra gave her the same odd looks they had given Aang. Hana let out a long breath, turning over and pulling the thick blanket over her small frame. Her body heat quickly heated the small bed, and Hana finally felt herself falling quickly asleep for the first time in days.

There was a loud bang.

Hana shot out of bed, senses alert as a faint yelling rang through the temples. There were doors pushed open so hard they hit the wall behind them, and the slams were heard all throughout the hallways. Hana slid out of her room, green eyes filled with panic as she searched for Uteki in the crowd of faces. One of the monks was trying to yell something, and finally a little bit of order took place.

"Benders! Head to the main hallway! All others, follow me!" The ancient man walked in the opposite direction as another bang shook the ground under Hana's bare feet.

"There you are!" Uteki grabbed Hana's shoulder hard until it hurt, but Hana didn't dare shrug off her hand for fear of losing her to the crowds. A wave of relief rushed through Hana as Uteki smiled a sad smile down at her. "It's the Fire Nation."

Ice filled Hana's stomach as she was pushed along with the other benders to the main hall, one of the larger rooms the occupied the front part of the main temple. As they passed a few open windows, Hana could see flames igniting the sky as fireballs flew towards the temples. There was a few screams ahead, but Hana tried to suppress the panic as Uteki pulled her along.

The main hall was almost full; air benders practicing last minute techniques and grabbing any staffs or weapons they might need. Uteki grabbed a staff and handed one to Hana.

Hana shook her head, and Uteki shrugged, passing it onto a boy who couldn't be more than twelve years old. A pang shot through Hana as she scanned the crowd. Most of these benders weren't even adults yet, many just small children barely able to spar each other, let alone battle a fully trained fire bender.

"Come on," Uteki muttered, pulling Hana along by the arm. She felt numb, like this should be a nightmare, but something in her gut told her it was real. Something in her gut that told her most of these people practicing around her might never come back to the temples.

"We need to warm up a bit, we can't go out there dazed and sleepy," Uteki instructed once they reached the small patch of earth beside a fountain, positioning herself across from Hana, her staff outstretched and her jaw set.

She quickly whipped up a gust of air, which Hana dodged. Thinking as fast as her sleepy mind would let her, Hana shoved her heel into the ground, kicking up a large boulder and punching it to Uteki. The boulder was sent tumbling to the side, Uteki standing in it's intended path with a frown on her face.

"Come on, Hana!" She yelled, trying to sound furious, though it wasn't working. Through her years of training with the monks at the Southern Air Temple, Hana has lost that fierce force that applied to most earth benders, and adapted to the defensive and fluid motions of the air benders, making her style unique and her form difficult to use a vast amount of earth.

Hana tried again, using as much force as her small fist would let her, and this time forced Uteki to dodge out of the way when she didn't have enough time to force it away from her. Uteki smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. It was grim, as if she was happy that Hana would be able to defend herself, but sad that the situation forced her to.

"Benders, we need you over here!" One of the larger monks said, motioning for all of those who were practicing with each other over to the large doors. A bang made the great doors shutter and the tiles under their feet shake. Hana hadn't realized she was shaking until Uteki put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her into a quick hug.

"We'll make it through this," Uteki smiled, crouching down to a small boy that looked remarkably like her. Uteki's brother, Hato, had been a little younger than Hana, and looked fearfully up at his older sister.

He opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced as another bang shook the entire temple. A few air benders around them let out yelps of fear, everyone jumping in unison as another bang shook the ground under their feet. Uteki gave Hato a tight hug, brushing some of the shaggy black hair out of his eyes. When she stood back up, her jaw was set and her light blue eyes determined.

Hana tried to mirror her look, trying to force energy to her tired limbs as she bounced on the balls of her feet. She let out a little yelp of her own with another bang shook the ground, and a crack followed.

Hana's heart sank.

_Their going to get through the door easily._

A final bang left the doors hanging on their hinges, and a wave of fire was sent just over their heads. Hato fell to the ground, covering his head. Uteki pulled him up to his feet and yelled something to him, although nobody but them could hear over the screams of victory from outside.

A battering ram pushed its' way through the crowd, and the nearest benders to them lept into action. In a wave of fire and bursts of air, the few fire benders that made it through the crowd were tossed back out, their bodies either limp or flailing until their hit the crowd. There was another uproar from outside, and Hana could see boulders falling to the ground, pushed by air benders from higher windows.

Screams of pain and anger tore through the room as fire benders lept over the heads of air benders, many getting by because of the pure shock of the situation. Within seconds, Hana went from confident that they would succeed in keeping them out, to terrified. Not even a minute after the doorway had been opened, the entire room was full of fire benders. In a whirl of colors and flames, Hana was pushed aside and fell to the ground.

A man stood over her, looking impossibly huge and fearless as more screams filled the room. Thinking as fast as possible, Hana pulled one of the boulders out from its' divet in the ground. Flying quickly, the boulder collided with the man's side, sending him sprawling to the ground long enough for Hana to jump up and gather a few more boulders around her, lept into the battle.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hanabira – Part One – Letting Go**

**Chapter Three**

Everything around Hana was warm.

Opening her eyes, Hana looked around in a daze.

_It's the end of summer_, Hana thought, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. _It was freezing last night_.

Hana heard a strangling sound from somewhere to her left, and once her vision settled down and adjusted to the dim lighting, she could see Uteki. There was a gag in her mouth, to keep her from talking, although she did seem to be trying. Her arms were bound behind her, and deep cuts were scattered around her exposed arms. Her eyes, which had been calm and determined the last time Hana had seen her, were filled with fear.

Hana let herself panic for a moment before gaining control on her emotions. Uteki had always been the strong one, more like an older sister, and a tough one at that. If _she_ was as terrified as she looked, the situation they were in was worse than Hana had thought… ten-fold.

From her surroundings, she was somewhere in a cell. The metals floors, walls, and ceiling rocked in a rhythmic beat, and a shock went through her as she realized where she was.

_We're all on a Fire Nation boat!_

Ice filled her stomach again as terror made her vision blur. She shook her head, determined to remain as calm as possible. She tried to rub her eyes, but found that her hands were bound behind her, and tied to the wall to force her to sit up. She struggled against the metal chains, but it was no use.

She looked around, past Uteki to see a terrified Hato laying on the ground beside his older sister, pressed against her side in an attempt to stay as close as possible. Something in her chest sank as she realized that the small air bender has been captured as well.

_How many others were captured?_ Hana's thought didn't remain unanswered for long. Letting her eyes adjust to the dim light once the room stopped spinning again, Hana noticed that there were other people in their cell… many others.

One of the monks who led the fight against the Fire Nation sat in the corner, chin on his chest; it was impossible to tell if he was sleeping or dead. There were many faces that Hana knew, but not by name. The entire wall was lined with air benders, all in ripped, burnt, and shredded clothing that exposed cuts and bruises underneath.

Finally some of her senses were coming back to her.

The entire room smelled of sweat. A bead rolling off Hana's nose confirmed it… it was way too hot in here. They must have been trying to heat up the room; a ship at sea should be freezing in the fall. Hana racked her brains for a full minute, trying to figure out _why_ it was necessary to heat up a room with prisoners in it.

_Why is _any_ of this necessary?_ Hana thought bitterly, letting her thoughts roam as she shut her eyes and tried to ease the pain that was forming in the back of her head.

Coming up with nothing, Hana leaned back against the wall, thankful that it was nice and cold against her half-bare back. Her clothes, which had been traditional air bender clothes, were torn in several places, although Hana could only remember half of the cuts and bruises that covered her arms, legs, and torso.

She was sore. The feeling in her legs and arms was coming back to her slowly, and the cuts stung. She sucked in a deep breath of air, trying to will herself not to make a noise in case she'd be waking any sleeping prisoners. Once it faded enough to be considered a dull, Hana rested the back of her head against the wall, looking back down at a terrified Uteki.

"It'll be okay," Hana muttered, realizing that despite how horrible the situation looked, she had an odd amount of hope. "Aang'll save us, I just know it."

Uteki shook her head in disbelief, looking down at her little brother who appeared to have fallen asleep. When she looked back up, Hana noticed tears welling up in her light blue eyes, and Hana wished she could at least reach out and hug her best friend.

Hana nodded idly, unsure if it was the heat or lack of food and sleep making her feel weightless and… well… insane. She wasn't sure when she had fallen asleep, or if she had simply lost consciousness, but she struggled to open her eyes.

The room was still dark, humid, and made Hana's throat burn. She looked down to Uteki, who had fallen asleep and would have looked peaceful if she wasn't tied up and gagged. Hana felt her eyes closing of their own accord before she felt herself drifting off.

"It'll be okay."

_A/n:_ _So thanks to those have been reading, I love to hear from you about what you think, like, or dislike about the story so far. Don't worry, I have much planned for this one, and sorry for the shortness of these chapters. I have the chapters planned out, and once I get to a certain length I just can't keep adding or it takes away from the point of the chapter. __J And do not fret, Aang will be in this story soon enough. I just have to get through this part one (which isn't too long at all) and then we can get down to business about our little Avatar. J_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hanabira - Part One - Letting Go**

**Chapter Four**

"It'll be okay," Hana muttered, feeling the cold metal under her feet and a rough cloth against her back. Curiously, Hana tugged her hands towards her, wishing she could at least move a piece of her long brown hair out of her face. They were still tied, though not behind her back like they had been before.

Hana opened her eyes, shutting them again at the blindingly bright light.

There was a window on the wall across from her, and the sun was beaming down and threatening to blind her. Straightening up as much as she could, Hana was finally able to open her eyes and let them adjust to the new lighting.

"Uteki?" Hana whispered, looking to her side where Uteki had been bound and gagged beside Hato. There was no one there. Everyone who had been in the cell was gone, and Hana realized after a moment of inspection, that it was smaller, cooler, and not rocking back and forth. Hana's heart sank.

_I'm in the Fire Nation._

Hana tried again to pull her arms free, but they were chained to opposite walls, and barely left her enough room to wiggle her arms. Her feet were tied similarly, but at least they had a little bit more room to move. Hana forced herself to sit up a little straighter, wondering where the soft cloth of her tan clothes had gone.

Instead, she was wearing a dark red shirt and pants, both at least one size too big, and made of a rough material that made her arms and legs itch… Fire Nation prisoner clothing. With a sigh, Hana tried to ignore the itchy feeling, until finally it went away.

Hana's stomach let out a loud growl, and she tried to think of how many days she had now gone without any food. It was impossible to tell how long she had been asleep, not to mention her lack of overall eating since Aang had left. Hana suddenly felt foolish. She should have been more prepared. She should have at least eaten lunch or dinner the day before in invasion. She let her head fall against the metal wall hard, regretting it as a sharp pain shot through her head. Hana shut her eyes, trying to at least block out the bright light.

_I'll conserve energy. _Hana thought, letting her arms fall limp and her legs stretching out in front of her.

There was a quiet sound of metal against metal, from somewhere outside of Hana's cell. She tensed up immediately before reminding herself to relax. She pushed all thoughts of panic, hunger, terror, worry and regret out of her mind and tried to meditate.

_I wish I could at least get into a comfortable meditating position._ Hana wished, pushing the longing for more movement out of her mind.

There was another bang, and this time all fear broke loose in her mind. It was closer this time. The hairs on the back of Hana's neck stood on ends, and her hands began to shake as another bang sounded even closer. Hana realized with a chill up her spine that someone was walking towards her cell. She kept her eyes glued to the small door on the other wall, jumping with ever bang until they finally stopped. Hana let out a steady breath, unsure if they were listening for signs of movement or doing something entirely unrelated… it was impossible to tell.

The small handle wiggled… someone was putting a key in it. Hana's senses went on full alert as the door swung open to reveal three men in Fire Nation armor. They stepped into the room, the one holding the keys walking over and taking the chains off of the walls.

"Get up," he said, his monotone voice echoing through his helmet. Hana got up, realizing how hard it was with her muscles and limbs weakened from the fight and lack of food. He handed the chains attached to her left wrist and ankle to one of the silent men, and held the other tight.

The ground under Hana's feet was hard and cold, but she suppressed a shiver… that might make her look weak.

"Where am I going?" Hana asked, her throat sore and hoarse from going who-knows-how-long without a drop of water. None of the three talked as they pulled Hana out of the cell, deciding that she couldn't walk up to their speed and pulled her along with sharp tugs of the chains.

Finally, the one leading the way spoke.

"Someone wants to talk to you." Even though Hana couldn't see through his helmet, she could have sworn he would be smirking by the smug sound of his voice.

"Who?" Hana wished for once she was more like Uteki. Uteki could demand, and sound like she was the highest authority in the world. Hana sounded like a lost sheep, and she mentally smacked herself. When the men didn't answer, Hana forced herself to sound angry.

"Who?" The two men holding her chains chuckled, but nobody made any other noise. The hallway was a maze. There was no hallway that just went… straight. There were turns and forks in the hallway, but the man leading seemed to know exactly where to go. They passed countless doors, all the exact same.

When Hana's knees started to hurt from the hard ground, the three men stopped in unison. The door they were standing in front of look exactly like all the other doors around.

_How can they be so positive this is the right door?_ Hana wondered as the man in front knocked. The sound echoed through the hallway, and made Hana shiver once again. There was a faint voice, but Hana couldn't make out what they had said. The men holding onto Hana's chains nodded, opening the door and hauling her in.

This room was larger, and slightly warmer.

_This isn't a cell._

There was a desk in the middle, and small knickknacks filled the few shelves around the room. It was lit with torches, unlike her cell which had only one window. There was a man sitting at the desk, a smug expression on his face as he stood from the chair with a squeak.

Hana finally noticed that large red banner behind the man, taking up the whole wall with the Fire Nation insignia stitched into it.

"Thank you," he said, his voice deep as he nodded to the three men. "You may wait outside."

Panic shot through Hana as her mind raced. The men did as they were told, and slammed the door behind them.

"Who are you?" Hana demanded, trying to remain calm as the man straightened a stack of papers on his desk idly. The man laughed, a genuine smile on his face that threw Hana off guard. None of the people she had come into contact from the Fire Nation smiled. They smirked, and sneered, but never _smiled_.

"My name is Commander Leesaun," he rounded the corner of his desk as Hana tried to keep her hands from shaking. Now that the guards weren't there to hold them up, Hana realized how heavy they were, and how hard it was to simply move a piece of hair out of her face. "But we're not here to talk about me… no. We're here to talk about you."

If Hana had been moving, she would have frozen. What could he possibly want to know about her?

"So, shall we chat?"

Hana nodded cautiously, eyeing the man as he went back behind his desk and sat down, motioning for Hana to do the same in the chair across from him. Hana took timid steps, keeping her eyes on the man at all times as if he would attack at any moment.

But the man did nothing. He simply watched Hana with a mild interest as she scooted the chair as far away from him as possible before sitting down.

"Good, so, you are not from the Air Nation, correct?" The man asked, his hands folded in his lap.

"What makes you so sure?" Hana wondered, flinching as the man laughed again.

"It's quite obvious." He stated, motioning to her. "Brown hair, bright green eyes, tanned skin… you're from the Earth Kingdom… naturally, at least."

"So what?" Hana asked, pushing all signs of panic from her appearance. She kept her head high, trying hard not to look away from his unwavering gaze.

"So I'm wondering, why did you come to the Air Temples?" The man sounded as calm and collected as if he were talking to a friend about the weather, Hana, on the other hand, couldn't keep her voice from shaking.

"Why does that matter?"

There was a flash of annoyance on the mans face, but he quickly composed himself.

"I'm simply curious. Why an earth bender would move to the Air Temples… alone." Hana felt a chill creep up her arms and legs, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. No one had ever asked why she had never come to the Air Temples with her family, Hana had assumed everyone was notified or everyone knew enough to not ask questions.

When Hana didn't speak, Commander Leesaun sighed.

"I guess civil conversation is out of the question."

Commander Leesaun stood, taking a few causal steps towards Hana, who wished she could push the chair further back.

"What do you know about the Avatar?"

Hana's blood ran cold and her stomach churned.

_Aang!_

Hana forced herself to not shift uncomfortably in her chair.

"He's an air bender," she stated, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "That's all I've heard."

The man's eyes narrowed.

"The Avatar was born and lived in the Southern Air Temple."

Hana forced herself to look up at the man, who was now practically standing on her toes, annoyance and anger clearly written all over his face. She kept her voice calm and collected.

"I have no clue what you're talking about."

The slap came fast, forcing Hana's head to turn as she gasped. Her cheek stung as the man pulled his hand back, his lips a thin white line as anger distorted his face.

"I am not an idiot!" He roared, making Hana flinch at the suddenness of the yell. "Where is the Avatar?"

Hana took in a long breath, bracing herself as the words slipped out of her mouth.

"I don't know who the Avatar is."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hanabira - Part One - Letting Go**

**Chapter Five**

The cold air pressed in around Hana, sleeping awkwardly in her chains, resting against the wall opposite the window. Had she been awake, Hana would have been able to watch the sun set and the moon rise, but she had been fast asleep.

Hana shifted in her deep slumber, awakening with a yelp as her shoulder burst into what felt like flames and a fury of knives. Hana shut her eyes tightly, now ignoring the long, irritating strand of hair in her face. Hunger and thirst had made her too weak to even think about something as small and stupid as a piece of hair.

Once the pain in her shoulder subsided to a dull throbbing, Hana leaned back against the wall with a hiss. Pressing the burn on her left shoulder against the wall was like pouring salt in all of her cuts and shoving a knife in her bruises, tenfold. Hana took in a deep, shaky breath in an attempt to calm herself.

It was no use. There was no hope of peacefully meditating to keep her mind sane. She let her arms dangle as low as the chains would allow, and let her mind wander, hoping it would bring her back to sleep where she could at least dream of being back home.

A growl awoke her before she fully slipped into sleep, and she let out an irritated groan.

_How long can they let me go without food?_

Hana didn't want to know the answer, so she quickly thought about something else.

There was a dull, weak sense of pride about herself. After what felt like hours of endless interrogation with Commander Leesaun, he had gotten nothing. Not a scrap of information about Aang. As much as Hana wanted to feel proud of herself at that moment, she couldn't.

Pride wasn't the first thing on her mind.

Loneliness was settling in.

An icy fog slipped in through the window, pressing against Hana's cuts in a both soothing and chilling way. Hana forced herself to stop shivering.

_I can't waste energy on something like that_, Hana thought, her mind wandering once again. _I'll need all the strength I can get if I'm going to go through another interrogation._

Hana's stomach let out another growl, and Hana let her head hang, chin rested on the itchy fabric covering her chest.

_Aang'll come back._ Hana thought, wishing she sounded more sure of herself. _He will!_

Even as she said those words, screamed them as loud as her mind would let her, she doubted herself. Glancing back up out the window, Hana waited for a figure to appear in the sky.

_Any minute now._ Hana thought, keeping her eyes glued to the small piece of sky the window allowed. _He'll come flying in on Appa, or his glider. He'll come in through the window and save us all. We can all go back to the Southern Air Temple and live like we used to… before the invasion._

Hana had worked herself up into smiling, hope filling every part of her as she waited for the figure in the sky to appear.

_Any minute now…_.

Hana felt herself deflate as she let go of that fantasy. She rested her head back against the wall, shutting her eyes and willing herself to not cry.

_I'll never see the Southern Air Temples again. I'll never see Uteki, or Hato… or Aang._

Hana felt something in her stomach churn as she realized she'd never see her best friend again.

_That's not true!_ Hana thought defiantly, hoping to trick herself into another fantasy. At least the small fantasy's would hold Hana's wandering mind at bay until Aang _really_ came back to save her.

_Of course it is._ Hana thought, mentally smacking herself the moment after it passed through her mind.

_No! Aang will come back!_ Hana doubted those words as soon as she thought them. Something in her gut told her that the small voice in the back of her head, the small one doubting everything she was saying, was right.

_Aang isn't coming back._

"No, he is. He will come back." Hana muttered, looking back up out the window, half expecting and mostly hoping that Aang would appear in the sky, just to prove that other voice wrong.

_You're never getting out of here._

Hana's head hung as her stomach let out another growl. At this rate, within another day Hana wouldn't be able to move at all. Her arms and legs were already heavy after doing nothing, and her muscles screamed at any movement.

"Of course I will, Aang'll save me." Hana muttered, her throat hoarse and dry from lack of water. Hana felt herself slipping into sleep, but this time she fought it. There was still something inside of her that told her Aang would take her away from the Fire Nation… any minute now….

_Aang isn't coming back._

Hana felt herself slipping back into sleep, her hope sliding away as her head fell heavier against her chest.

"I know."

_A/n: Thank you for the reviews so far, I'm very surprised at how fast this is all coming to me. __J I know that this chapter is very short, but because of that, the next one will come out even faster… and yes… the next chapter is the super short part one finale! And sadly no, Aang won't be in this part at all. But! But! But! Have no fear, he will be in almost every chapter of every part from the next one on. J Please leave a review and let me know what you think about Hanabira._


	6. Chapter 6

**Hanabira - Part One - Letting Go**

**Chapter Six**

_I must be hallucinating. _Hana thought, feeling her arms and legs move around her of their own accord. She could feel the ground underneath her feet, cold and hard, but at the same time she felt weightless.

Something pulled on her hands, making her stumble forward.

Hana's eyes shot open as she caught herself on the wall, the cuts on the palms of her hands screaming in protest as they met the cold metal.

"Hurry up," a man said, pulling the chains around her wrists again. Hana straightened up as best as she could, blinking her eyes as her stomach let out a loud grumble.

Her throat still burned, and the very thought of a meal made Hana's mouth water.

_How much longer will it be before they give me food?_ Hana thought, stumbling along after the man who demanded, once again, that she hurry up.

"Where are we going?" Hana asked, her words slurred as she struggled to keep up with the mans pace. Every inch of her body hurt, and the simple task of walking seemed like a stretch for her muscles.

Hana's eyes began to close, and she had to force herself to stay awake.

They passed countless doors, all similar to her own, but this time it wasn't silent. She could hear something up ahead, but the sound of her mans boots on the floor and her own bare feet slapping against the metal made it hard to figure out what it is.

_Maybe it's nothing at all,_ Hana thought, adding to the evidence that she was indeed, hallucinating. _Maybe I'm still in my cell, sleeping._

The man gave her hands another hard tug as they approached a door. This one was different. It was larger, and had the Fire Nation insignia burned onto it. There was definitely some sort of noise, but Hana had no more time to think about it before the man opened the door.

It was… cheering?

Hana blinked as they were met with sun.

The man pushed Hana along, standing behind her as they continued to walk. Hana yelped as the man's hand connected with the burn on her shoulder, and for a moment Hana thought she would crumple to the ground right then and there and cry.

"Keep walking," the man said, and Hana's eyes finally adjusted.

They were standing in a small stadium, filled to the brim with people cheering.

_What could they possibly be cheering for?_

The cheering died down, and Hana looked ahead to see what could have possibly made them shut up so fast. If there was anything in Hana's stomach, it would have come right back up. There was a stage in the middle, chairs in straight lines behind a man in Fire Nation uniform. There was a single chair in front of him, and Hana immediately recognized the man as Commander Leesaun.

"Today is the day," he said, his voice projected to every inch of the stadium. "That the Fire Nation, _rids_ the world of the air benders!"

Ice filled Hana's veins as she glanced behind her. There were other air benders, most unrecognizable to her, and each accompanied by a man in uniform holding onto some chains.

The man hauled Hana up onto the stage, shoving her roughly into one of the seats in the front row, and walked away. An elderly man was pushed into the chair next to hers, but he didn't return the tiny smile Hana had mustered up. He simply looked down at his hands, wincing as Commander Leesaun continued to speak.

"We have here, the _last_ _people of the Air Nation!_" The crowd erupted into cheers as more and more people were seated around Hana. She craned her neck, looking for any signs of Uteki or Hato, or anyone that she had known. By know, the seats were full.

_I'm not even an air bender_, Hana thought, realizing that it didn't seem to matter to them.

"After today, the Fire Nation will have officially, taken over all four Air Temples!" Hana felt herself slip into a doze before she shook herself awake again. Her stomach let out a loud growl, and Hana listened as other's around her groaned, their stomach growling just as loud as hers.

The cheer of the crowd died down once again, and Hana forced herself to sit up straight.

_Whatever they're planning on doing, it can't be good._

Commander Leesaun turned around, motioning for one of the guards standing at the side of the stage. The two approached the side of the stage where Hana sat, and panic shot through her as they headed towards her. They stopped, however, in front of the old man.

"No…," he muttered, shaking his head as the two guards grabbed both of his forearms, pulling him to his feet and hauling him over to the chair in front of Commander Leesaun. The old man was shaking, fear flashing through his light blue eyes as the sun gleamed off his bald head.

_He's just a peaceful monk!_ Hana thought as Commander Leesaun stood behind the man. _What could they possibly want with him?_

The man whimpered as the Commander let his head rest on his shoulder, pulling his other hand back. His fist burst into flames, and Hana looked away as she realized what he was going to do.

The crowd burst into cheers as the people around Hana cried out and gasped. Hana felt a chill run up and down her spine as she listened to the sound of the old man's body falling from the chair. The crowd died down again, but Hana kept her eyes tightly shut.

She felt a pair of hands grab her arms, and hauled her up to her feet.

Making a decision, Hana opened her eyes, keeping Commander Leesauns' gaze until the two men turned her around and sat her down in the chair. The wood pressed against Hana's shoulder, but she suppressed a hiss of pain.

She felt a hand hold her shoulder steady, and Hana stared into the cheering crowd as the sound of flames engulfed the fist of the man behind her.

_A/n: So I think it's fairly obvious, Hana was executed. But have no fear, people, this is merely the end of part one (see? I told you it would be short), and part two will begin shortly, and yes! Part two will have Aang in it from chapter one on. __J Thank you for all the reviews, and I'll let everyone know now that part two will be a different story, and you can find it on my profile. It's called 'Hanabira - Part Two - Remember'._


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